Charlie Whittington, owner of the Kwik Kar oil-change shop in Plano, TX, no doubt accepts the promise in Hebrews 1:9 that “God, even your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your fellows,” but he wants to throw in a discount oil change for good measure. Whittington has achieved national notoriety by offering customers an oil change for $19.99 if they recite a Bible verse to him or his staff. They must recite John 3:16: “For God so loved that world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”
There is nothing in the Constitution that bars an owner from favoring Christians or people willing to read Christian passages.
Customers must choose between satisfying Whittington’s religious condition or paying full price. In one account, a customer was declined to read such a passage, so his oil change went from $19 to $42.
In an interview with Glenn Beck, Whittington explained to a thrilled Glenn Beck that “Man, I just was tired of all the bad things that was discussed and I just wanted to talk about something good in my life.” He talked about it by requiring customers to recite his favorite Biblical passage to receive a discount. It is a curious response to the teaching of Jesus who “entered the temple and drove out all who sold and bought in the temple.” Apparently, he would have been delighted if the same people left the temple and then offered weekly deals based on his teachings. “Naamah is crazy, crazy, crazy, for the man from Nazareth. Recite a teaching today and get a half priced money change and a free pigeon!”
I particularly like how the account of the interview says “he has gotten some pushback for the policy, but that it’s come only from people who call or e-mail.” Well, if is is ONLY from people to call or email (rather than drive to his store) it must be just fringe elements. They then add “For him, it’s about the spirit of the promotion, not the letter of it. How biblical.” Was that spirit of the promotion or spirit of promotion?
When Beck’s co-host Pat Gray asked if he could discuss Wicca with Whittington, Beck became enraptured by the response: “You could talk about anything. Golly, we’re in America, you can talk about anything you want to.”
Beck responded: “Hang on just a second. May I just say to the entire United States of America: that last sentence from Charlie is why everyone should move to Texas. Because it’s common sense. This is total common sense. This is who we are as America.”
I wonder what Beck would say when another mechanic offers a discount for anyone who recited the Koran or a dry cleaners asked for recitation of Bhagavad Gita.
Of course, this may be a difference of interpretation of passages like 1 Samuel 16:13 “Then Samuel took the horn of oil, a . . . and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah [for a brake job].”
Source: CBS
“Was that spirit of the promotion or spirit of promotion?” => Did he abuse the promotion on spirits?
as a longtime mechanic the only thing i’d give a discount for is shuttin the hell up and letting me do my job.
In high school, I belonged to a church, whose minister could rapidly open his Bible to any specific verse without little ribbons or book marks. Before his sermon, he always opened his Bible to an Old Testament verse and then “related” that verse to a relevant New Testament verse.
I belonged to the youth group that had a lot of social activities and a lot of girls. One Sunday night we had a “burger bash” and were encouraged to invite friends who didn’t belong to our group. I brought my younger, freshman brother.
After we’d eaten, the Youth Director said that the cost of dinner was a favorite Bible verse. Most of listed John 3:16, because it was the only verse we could think of. My brother sat at the very end of the table. The Youth Director handed him a Bible and said, “I won’t ask your favorite verse, but I’d like you to lead us in closing devotions.” I’m not sure why he called on my brother, who attended one service a week because he had to. He’d never even been to the youth group before.
I expected my brother to bolt or freeze, but he opened the Bible near the beginning and announced his “Old Testament Passage,” a verse stabbed by his index finger. He read the verse out loud. Then he said, “I’d like to relate that verse to the New Testament,” and flipped the Bible open near the back. He read a random verse from the page. It had nothing to do with the Old Testament Verse.
He then said, “One day last week, I visited the South Shore Station to ride its electric train to Chicago. As you know, the track is above the depot. For some reason, the up escalator wasn’t working, so I began climbing the down escalator. A burly porter in a red cap shouted, ‘Say, mate, where do you think you’re going? Where do you think you’re going’?”
My brother lowered the Bible to the table and gazed around the U-shaped table, making eye contact with several people. Finally, he pointed his finger around the room and said, “As we leave here tonight, I ask each of you, where do YOU think you’re going? Richard, will you lead us in prayer?”
After my brother left, some of us stayed to clean up. The youth director said to me, “Wow, your brother amazed me. I had no idea he had such a grasp of the Bible.”
Gene H, the rule is buy 6, the seventh’s free. You could look it up. And twenty bucks is a little high if you don’t mind bulk oil.
Can I get an AMEN for the oil change?
>Designate a place outside the camp where you can go to relieve yourself.
Deut 23:12
There is alot of good wisdom in the bible.
Gene H,
lol
I have heard that if you cite part of the Talmud, you pay full price for the first one, but the next seven are free.
Exxon 1:1 Thou shalt keepeth thy fuel tank filled with unleaded premium and change thine oil every 3,000 miles.
That would make piety worth about $23.00. Sounds about right to me.
I read about this and saw the morning news….The other franchisee do not honor this as well as had no comment….I am sure it is driving the market a little bit…there are a lot of fringe people in that area…well…for that area it may not be a fringe…it may be just be what brings in the business…